Dear Siena Community,
I'm reaching out to provide you with a general update as we complete our fourth week of classes and fifth week of residential life for the fall semester.
I deeply appreciate everyone's efforts to date to keep us healthy and on campus. The overwhelming majority of students are abiding by their pledge and the administration continues to do its part to keep Siena safe so our faculty can effectively deliver our academic program. These efforts are paying off as we continue to keep COVID-19 cases low. As you know, however, this will continue to be a very challenging semester. We all need to do our best every day to keep physically distant, follow masking protocols, and practice good personal hygiene habits.
The College has expanded our coronavirus surveillance testing and wastewater surveillance testing efforts. Thank you for your support of these important safety components. In addition to surveillance testing, any student or employee may get an elective coronavirus test at any time. Testing is free for all New Yorkers; simply fill out this online assessment and the New York State Department of Health will contact you to schedule an appointment. Out-of-state students who want to get tested may do so at any approved facility and have expenses reimbursed through the CARES Act by emailing aid@siena.edu.
In addition to testing, our housekeeping staff continues to clean high touch areas – such as residence hall common areas and campus restrooms – twice per day, and all other areas in accordance with our Marching Forward Plan. Please let your Community Assistant (CA) know if you have concerns about the cleanliness of your area.
Finally, let's make an extra effort to support each other in these difficult times. We are physically distancing, not socially distancing. We need each other, now more than ever.